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Dalia Lopez, the 55-year-old Paraguayan woman allegedly behind the forged documents that led to Ronaldinho’s 2020 arrest, has been ordered to pre-trial detention.
After evading authorities for six years, Lopez was apprehended in Asuncion earlier this month.
On Monday, a judge designated her a flight risk, mandating her transfer to a women’s prison in Emboscada.
The case dates back to March 2020, when the Brazilian football icon and his brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, travelled to Paraguay for a charity event organised by Lopez.
Shortly after their arrival, the pair were detained for using falsified Paraguayan passports and identification cards.
They ultimately spent five months in custody—split between a police facility and house arrest at a local hotel—before being released on a $1.6 million bail.
Legal authorities remain puzzled as to why the brothers utilised forged documents, given that Brazilian citizens can legally enter Paraguay using only their national ID cards.
Lopez now faces charges of criminal association for her role in the scheme, becoming one of 18 individuals indicted in a scandal that captivated the sporting world and paralysed one of football’s greatest legends for nearly half a year.
